Choosing a Salesforce implementation partner is always a complex process and a crucial part of any project. Many companies don’t pay enough attention to this issue and result in unexpected and disappointing situations. Businesses have to deal with a big number of partners without the necessary knowledge and expertise.
In our blog post, we would like to share some tips and tweaks on how to choose the proper Salesforce partner and avoid wrong decisions. We hope this writing will help you save money and spare your nerves.
Tip 1: Take a look at the Salesforce expertise of the chosen partner
Find information about what services the chosen company provides. Check if the company had any projects similar to yours. Investigate clients' references. Most Salesforce partners focus on several services varying from each other. Only large enterprises operate within the whole Salesforce ecosystem. Great experts in custom development are not always a good choice for the Field Service Lightning projects.
Tip 2: Pay attention to the company’s certification
Salesforce has a strong certification program that offers credentials for Salesforce Administrators, Consultants, Developers, Architects, and Marketers. You can request such information from your future partner or check it at AppExchange. At minimum consultants should hold both Administrator and Developer certifications. The rest depends on your needs.
Tip 3: Experience and portfolio make all the difference
Salesforce partner's experience is one of the most important things while choosing the proper service provider. In such companies, the team is cohesive and fast-responsive, the workflow is smooth and transparent. The more experience the company has, the better. Let's say you need a custom approach for developing a fantastic solution, the company's experience from other projects will contribute to the quick establishment of smooth processes and a great outcome.
Tip 4: The domain expertise could be a crucial factor
Each business area has its pitfalls: the market, customers, etc. that makes an impact on the implementation strategy. Being aware of the domains your Salesforce consulting partner operates in can be a huge advantage when launching a project. The industry experience will enhance the mapping process and execution of best implementation practices. For example, a healthcare company should go with a partner that has completed several projects in this field, because understanding pain points and customer needs will ensure an efficient solution.
Tip 5: Check the capacity
Sometimes start-up companies can exaggerate their skills and capabilities, and the client, to save money, is ready to hire even such a small business to solve the hot problem. Depending on the size of your business, you need a partner that can bring in the required infrastructure, team strength, and technical skills. Salesforce is a complex system that requires a detailed expert approach. A team of several people will not completely solve all the issues of a large-scale business, it simply doesn’t have enough time and experts to do it. For a small organization, a partner specializing in small-sized technical solutions within tight budgets would be a better fit. So while choosing a partner, try to learn the company’s experience with businesses similar to yours.
Tip 6: Life after go-live
Choose a partner who is able to provide post-maintenance in the future. As your business growth or solutions get improved, you may need some advice and consulting from the implementation partner. Hiring a new partner to configure new features can turn into a waste of time since new experts will need to understand your system first, and then look for certain needs, while the company that initially implemented the platform could properly embed any new tools in a shorter time frame.
These tips are not an exact guide to follow when choosing a partner, but they can help you and dispatch you in the right direction. If you are still in doubt, contact JET BI and our experts will answer all your questions.
